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by Benjamin Kerstein
The New Synagogue, in Berlin, Germany. Photo: Ansgar Koreng / Wikimedia Commons.
The German government has reached an agreement with the Jewish community to substantially increase funds earmarked for the security of Jewish institutions and facilities in the country.
The move comes in the wake of the shooting attack on a synagogue in the central city of Halle last Yom Kippur, during which a neo-Nazi assailant attempted to breach the synagogue doors and massacre the congregants inside.
After being unable to force his way into the synagogue, the gunman randomly killed two passersby.
According to a statement from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community, the German Federal Government and the Central Council of Jews in Germany — a representative body of the country’s Jewish community — signed an annex to a deal that stipulates a grant of 22 million euros to the Central Council for upgrading security at Jewish sites.
The minister of the Interior, Building and Community, Horst Lorenz Seehofer, said, “Jewish people must be able to live in safety and security in Germany. This is part of Germany’s national ethos.”
“The Jewish community can be sure that the Federal Government is doing everything possible to provide the needed protection,” he added. “We are aware of our responsibility.”
The president of the Central Council, Dr. Josef Schuster, commented, “The costs of providing security often place a considerable financial strain on our Jewish congregations. The attack in Halle, however, made it painfully clear that Jewish life requires serious and massive protection.”
“We greatly appreciate the Federal Government’s commitment,” he noted.
The ministry added in its official statement, “In signing the annex, the Federal Government underscores its commitment to resolutely opposing every form of antisemitism as an attack on our free and democratic basic order.”
“The Federal Government feels a special duty to the Jewish community and opposes all trends to forget or remain silent about the Nazi genocide of the Jews,” it declared.
